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Pain from Genital HSV 1
Hi,
I'm a 25-year-old female and I was recently diagnosed through a culture with genital hsv-1. My boyfriend has type 1 orally and didn't realize he could transmit it to me in this way. I am a graduate student and was incredibly rundown when I contracted it about a month ago and the outbreak began two weeks later. I have two main questions.
1) I believed my first outbreak had ended. It began on a Tuesday with itching and burning that I assumed was a yeast infection but by Thursday had become incredibly painful as my labia was covered in dozens of blisters. I went into the doctor on Friday and she told me she believed it was herpes and put me on an antiviral for 10 days. The blisters were significantly better by about Tuesday although the pain was much better the day before. I finally felt that the outbreak was over yesterday (2 weeks and 1 day after it had started) because everything felt normal down there again. However, today I have been getting some itching and irritation. It's making me paranoid that my outbreak wasn't actually over. I've read that sometimes a second round of blisters occurs during the primary outbreak. I'm having trouble sleeping because I'm so afraid of dealing with that intensity of pain again. How common is a second set of blisters and would it occur after things had finally seemed to go back to normal? If this is a second round of sores, will it be as extensive and severe as the first?
2) This outbreak was so bad that I couldn't leave the house for four days as I cried or screamed every time I had to move, not to mention go to the bathroom. The pain was so bad there were several times I was afraid it would make me pass out. I keep reading that any recurrences will be less severe, but even if it is less severe I'm still petrified of the pain associated with my first outbreak. How likely is it that a recurrence would be painful enough that walking was difficult? Is it likely to just be shorter or actually painless enough that I can continue on with my normal life? I'm very afraid of having to stop my life for a week every time I get an outbreak.
Thank you so much for any help. I've had a difficult time coping with this diagnosis but I feel like I'm finally starting to accept it and move on. I just don't know how to get over the fear and anxiety I have over the level of pain my initial outbreak caused. It's making it very hard to go back to normal and not feel ruled by this diagnosis.
I'm a 25-year-old female and I was recently diagnosed through a culture with genital hsv-1. My boyfriend has type 1 orally and didn't realize he could transmit it to me in this way. I am a graduate student and was incredibly rundown when I contracted it about a month ago and the outbreak began two weeks later. I have two main questions.
1) I believed my first outbreak had ended. It began on a Tuesday with itching and burning that I assumed was a yeast infection but by Thursday had become incredibly painful as my labia was covered in dozens of blisters. I went into the doctor on Friday and she told me she believed it was herpes and put me on an antiviral for 10 days. The blisters were significantly better by about Tuesday although the pain was much better the day before. I finally felt that the outbreak was over yesterday (2 weeks and 1 day after it had started) because everything felt normal down there again. However, today I have been getting some itching and irritation. It's making me paranoid that my outbreak wasn't actually over. I've read that sometimes a second round of blisters occurs during the primary outbreak. I'm having trouble sleeping because I'm so afraid of dealing with that intensity of pain again. How common is a second set of blisters and would it occur after things had finally seemed to go back to normal? If this is a second round of sores, will it be as extensive and severe as the first?
2) This outbreak was so bad that I couldn't leave the house for four days as I cried or screamed every time I had to move, not to mention go to the bathroom. The pain was so bad there were several times I was afraid it would make me pass out. I keep reading that any recurrences will be less severe, but even if it is less severe I'm still petrified of the pain associated with my first outbreak. How likely is it that a recurrence would be painful enough that walking was difficult? Is it likely to just be shorter or actually painless enough that I can continue on with my normal life? I'm very afraid of having to stop my life for a week every time I get an outbreak.
Thank you so much for any help. I've had a difficult time coping with this diagnosis but I feel like I'm finally starting to accept it and move on. I just don't know how to get over the fear and anxiety I have over the level of pain my initial outbreak caused. It's making it very hard to go back to normal and not feel ruled by this diagnosis.
Best Answer
i'd go and be seen again and get this looked at. a bump that doesn't hurt or itch, isn't likely to be herpes related.
make sure they test you for yeast and bacterial infections vaginally too while you are there. bv can be symptomless and it causes herpes to reactivate more often so best for them to take the effort of testing for it.
make sure they test you for yeast and bacterial infections vaginally too while you are there. bv can be symptomless and it causes herpes to reactivate more often so best for them to take the effort of testing for it.
Thank you so much!
I did have a lesion culture and it came back positive. The blood test was negative though so the doctor told me it was something I had gotten recently.
I was put on 400 mg of acyclovir 3 times a day for 10 days. It took about 3 days but started to make a big differences. I ended up taking a few days of the medication right after I posted as I had to fly across the country for a huge family reunion and I was petrified of not being able to stand flying or participating.
Now I'm flying home tomorrow and I noticed a bump that's slightly uncomfortable. I don't have the itching/redness/irritation that I had before my primary outbreak, but it doesn't look like a normal bump. I have a little more of the medication so I began taking it. This past weekend was stressful and I started my period so I'm nervous about having a recurrence (or a second set of lesions with my first outbreak). How likely is it that a bump without other symptoms is an outbreak?
I'm also very concerned with the paranoia I feel now. I get so nervous when anything feels off and I'm easily convinced I'm going to have a recurrence. Are there any tips for how to clearly identify when it is an outbreak? Or how to get over this constant fear? I keep reading that genital hsv-1 recurs 10 times less often than type 2, but I'm still so anxious. I don't know what to do.
I did have a lesion culture and it came back positive. The blood test was negative though so the doctor told me it was something I had gotten recently.
I was put on 400 mg of acyclovir 3 times a day for 10 days. It took about 3 days but started to make a big differences. I ended up taking a few days of the medication right after I posted as I had to fly across the country for a huge family reunion and I was petrified of not being able to stand flying or participating.
Now I'm flying home tomorrow and I noticed a bump that's slightly uncomfortable. I don't have the itching/redness/irritation that I had before my primary outbreak, but it doesn't look like a normal bump. I have a little more of the medication so I began taking it. This past weekend was stressful and I started my period so I'm nervous about having a recurrence (or a second set of lesions with my first outbreak). How likely is it that a bump without other symptoms is an outbreak?
I'm also very concerned with the paranoia I feel now. I get so nervous when anything feels off and I'm easily convinced I'm going to have a recurrence. Are there any tips for how to clearly identify when it is an outbreak? Or how to get over this constant fear? I keep reading that genital hsv-1 recurs 10 times less often than type 2, but I'm still so anxious. I don't know what to do.
Hi I'm 16 and female and have had genital herpes for just over a year now. I never had intense pain like that and I only had 3 outbreaks and it was just one bump. I don't have outbreaks because I take valacyclovir( generic of valtrex) daily. My suggestion would be to do the same and ask your doctor for a prescription for daily use
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You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
could this still be your first ob running its course? yes it could be. Not unusual at all to get a 2nd crop of lesions after it seemed like the first batch was finally starting to heal. what antiviral did they give you originally? what dose and for how many days?
at this point, I recommend just seeing how it goes over the weekend. don't hesitate to call today to have them call in a refill for antivirals for you if you don't already have one too. if you are still uncomfortable by monday, go and be seen. make sure they properly test you for yeast and bacterial infections vaginally when you are seen too. bv especially can cause herpes to linger/reoccur so being tested for it is a good idea. Meanwhile, try things like soaking in the bathtub with epsom salts thrown in for comfort and going bottomless when you can ( a bathrobe or over sized night shirt work well for this even though for most of us it's so hot we'd rather just be in our birthday suits right now...lol ). Also dermoplast spray ( the blue can for the genital area, not the red can ) is helpful. it's a spray on anesthetic you can use for itching and pain.
will recurrences be as bad as this first one? no they will not. now granted they aren't anyone's idea of a fun time but they won't be as extensive as this initial ob was.
keep asking questions :)
grace